domingo, 21 de abril de 2013

Jesus and the Samaritan woman (John 4)

Said to him, the Samaritan: How dost thou, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, a Samaritan woman? (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered and said unto him, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given thee living water.

John 4:9-10

We see in this passage Biblical God's love, we see how Jesus cared for people regardless of their situation, regardless of their nationality, we see this love breaking barriers and bridging traditions.

We see in the historical context of this passage, which in most cases when a Galilean Jew needed to go to the maximum they avoided taking the shortest path that was to pass through the regions of Samaria, he preferred to cross the Jordan and ride more miles and Samaria by coasting Desert to enter this region.

But we see in John 4:4:

And he must needs go through Samaria.

John 4:4

Because it was necessary for Jesus to go through Samaria? It was necessary because our Lord knew that city was a person who needed to have a real encounter with God, and Jesus was so, he often let a crowd to go against a life, a life precious in God's eyes.

Jesus coming in a town called Sychar he was next to a very well known locally for having been dug by the patriarch Jacob, and while the disciples were the city to buy food. Tired of the way Jesus waited at the well.

We see in this passage God's love:

Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God,

But emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness;

And being found in human form, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:6-8

Jesus being God did not need to get tired, need not get hungry or thirsty, there needed to be whipped, not needed to be beaten and did not need to be killed on a cross.

So because he did all this? For love!! For love of you, because He knew that only through this sacrifice of love, only through his blood could be saved, and if it were not for this love we'd be doomed.

Returning to study:

And there was the fountain of Jacob Jesus therefore, being wearied from the journey, sat thus on the source. It was about the sixth hour.

What strikes me in this passage is that this woman came to draw water in an inconvenient time around noon, and the best time to take water was morning or late afternoon hours when the sun was weaker, but this woman came to draw water at noon, at which time the sun was stronger.

Another detail that strikes me is that this woman was alone, women usually went together, gathered her neighbors and friends in the early hours of the day or late in the day, and together they went to take water, but the Samaritan woman was alone because?

Because this woman was not well regarded in the city, she was not a good witness, had no friends, women avoided the city, behold, there surely said the thief husbands!! imagine the void that was that woman scorned, alone certainly was a woman who needed an encounter with God. But what this woman did not know was that that day would change his life forever, it seemed another ordinary day, another day of distress, a day of distress, she saw that all the women of the town had already returned to their pitchers filled water, and now he could go draw water for their domestic services.

And it's the woman of Samaria to draw water, and when he arrives at the well, she sees a Jewish man around, and when approaching the well, says this gives me to drink.

The indignant woman remembers the fight between Jews and Samaritans:

Said to him, the Samaritan: How dost thou, being a Jew, ask a drink of me, a Samaritan woman? (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

John 4:9

Perhaps she thought, just me missing it, I no longer just the problems I face now a Jew asks me water ... But what she did not know that Jew was different, that Jew wanted to transform his life, and throughout the biblical text Jesus reveals itself to her in a beautiful way, showing her that God loved her, and that man was the own messiah who came to meet her.

We also see in this text that the initiative for a dialogue came from Jesus, as God works with us, when the initiative comes from God, to bless us the initiative, the initiative to transform our lives.

At that moment she happened to have a face to face encounter with the Lord Jesus, you know brother often need to have this meeting with Jesus, time to be alone with God, talking to Him of our sorrows, our fears, our doubts , and let the Holy Spirit work in our hearts, where we need to be transformed by God.

Jesus says:

Jesus answered and said unto him, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given thee living water.

John 4:10

Jesus presents himself to the woman as the gift of God, a gift sent to bless her life. Jesus for us, is our greatest gift given by God. God knew that woman and even when all the rejected God was there in front of her stretch hands. Jesus revealed himself as living water to the woman, and for us it is the same way, only Jesus can transform our inner void in wellspring of living water.

But the woman still could not see the size of the miracle that was in front of her, and began to see physical difficulties, saying that the well was deep and Jesus had nothing to draw water, her vision was still in the things of the earth, but the vision of Jesus was in the things of heaven. God wants to give us salvation, earthly things are superficial, but the sky is eternal.

Jesus says:

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again;

But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst, but the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.

John 4:13-14

Look what tremendous revelation that Jesus was giving this woman, he was giving her the opportunity to never thirst for the things of the world, the spiritual thirst she had because of religion empty and lifeless, she now had the opportunity to meet a path leading directly to God, and it was through Jesus that would meet its thirst for God, a fountain springing up to eternal life.

Believe dear brothers, since we drink this font called Jesus, we will never thirst, for we have within us there is a fountain that springs up to eternal life, and this source is never without water and the amount is unlimited.

We also see in this text the patience of Jesus because the woman was not even understand the size of revelation, until Jesus says:

Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said to him: Thou hast well said, I have no husband;

For you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband, it was truly said.

The woman told him: Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.

John 4:16-19

At this point the story reveals that Jesus knows that woman's life, and also shows us why she was alone in that source, she has been married five times, and was now with a sixth man, and Judeo-Samaritan divorce always stemmed from the husband, then that woman out publicly humiliated five times, no one gave value for that woman, but Jesus wanted to change her story.

Stop and think with me for just a moment in the love of God, as Jesus is wonderful, as everyone looked at this woman with contempt, Jesus looked at her with love, we see even elsewhere, as the Jewish society despised lepers, but Jesus reached out and touched saying "I want to be clean."

Today is no different, there are lives out there in the world that the human eye is hopeless, now being despised, that are at rock bottom, but through the eyes of Jesus, who is the greatest love the world, this saying!! I WANT TO TRANSFORM YOUR LIFE, EVEN IF ALL YOU reject, I LOVE YOU!!

After this the woman wants to get into a religious discussion about the most appropriate place to worship God and Jesus says:

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father

Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.

John 4:21-24

God is looking for true worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.

In spirit, because worship is not something merely external, but first comes from within, from the heart, not worship God for what He can give, but for what He is, and He is worthy of all worship, He is worthy of all praise, He is all Digino Glory.

In fact, because worship has to be true, it is not something mechanical, rehearsed and superficial. And it is in fact because it has to be according to God's Word, the Bible is our standard, our rule of faith, if Word is not out of true.

The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah (called Christ) comes, when he comes, he will tell us everything.

Jesus said unto him, I am, I who speak to you.

John 4:25-26

Something terrible happens when Jesus reveals himself as Messiah to the woman, the Word says that she drops the pitcher, recognizing Jesus as Savior, and runs to the city that he despised, and calls everyone to go meet Jesus.

Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Is not this the Christ?

They left the city, and came unto him.

John 4:29-30

The transformation in the life of this woman was full, as Jesus spoke to her, her life was being transformed, and now we see an evangelist preaching Jesus, a woman who accepted Jesus and exits provided for the whole world what Jesus did in his life.

This woman made no evangelism course, but even so she left long for Jesus to everyone, you know why? Because when we are transformed by God, we have to declare the wonderful deeds of Jesus, and are a living testimony of God's power.

God wants to use you in this very land, as well as this woman had an encounter with Christ, you also had the transformation was complete.

And if you have not had this meeting, do not waste time Jesus loves you, He wants to reveal to you too, He wants to give you living water, water welling up to eternal life, open your heart, accept him as your Lord and Salvador, look for a church that preaches the truth (God's Word), and have a real and personal encounter with the Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God.